WILD LIFE ON THE WING 
until the floor was sodden. This was not 
Skerritt's fault, for he had nowhere else to put 
his captive, and it never occurred to him to 
set the latter free. 
But after the rain came warm weather, and 
the grassblades which thrust up between the 
cobble-stones in the yard grew greener. On 
the steeple above the town the cock pigeons 
billed to their mates, and night by night the 
cats came and miauled to their loves on the 
roofs. At this time lolar even began to welcome 
the presence of the staring child close to the 
cage he kept away the cats. Three nights the 
peregrine awoke to find a pair of shining eyes 
fastened on him, and gradually velvet feet 
trampled a little track in the mud from the 
corner by the waterbutt to the cage. On the 
fourth night the moon was late, and before she 
rose level with the chimney cowls, lolar, waking, 
heard soft-cushioned feet stirring before the 
bars. In the gloom shone unwinking eyes : 
further back another pair and another. lolar 
dropped fluttering from his perch. Softly 
Malkin purred to Malkin in the dark. Some- 
thing dim and stealthy reared up, pressing 
against the bars, scraping at the lock. The 
door creaked under the weight : the besieger's 
eager breath carried a smell of garbage, and 
of other unclean things. lolar beat against 
74 
